I wish I had known then…

what I know now. Don’t we always hear that? Isn’t it always the truth? Years bring experience and experience often brings wisdom. If I could go back, I would tell my younger self a few things:

It always works out. Maybe not the way you had hoped, but it always works out.

The pain subsides and eventually fades. It may never fully go away, but it definitely diminishes with time.

You’ve never been more beautiful.

Don’t dwell on the past. Learn your lessons from it and move on. It does you no good to wallow in it.

Be true to yourself. That’s the greatest gift you can give yourself and others.

Give more than you get in everything – love, charity, forgiveness, etc.

Hold your dear friends close for as long as possible. The years may ebb and flow, but you will always need your friends.

Be thankful – let it radiate from your being.

Ask for help when needed. Don’t try to do everything yourself or hold everything together alone. If you need a hand, a shoulder, a ride – ask. People aren’t mind readers, but they are usually more than willing to help if you ask. And just because they don’t offer doesn’t mean they don’t want to.

Listen to this song and LISTEN to this song. It has more truths in it in five minutes than you may learn in fifty years.